Archive friend, colleague and important contributor, Andrew (Andy) Crockart passed away last month. As Andy's work at UTV is a vital part of the Digital Film Archive, we wanted to recognise his work, his generosity of knowledge and his skills as a wonderful storyteller.

Andy began his television career at BBC Northern Ireland but made his way to UTV, the new commercial station, in the early 60s. He soon found himself wearing many hats, including appearing in front of the camera on occasion. He showed his love of local heritage in the films he made, capturing many crafts and traditions that were dying away at the time. He also followed his own passion for trains and transport in creating important film of the end of an era in Northern Ireland railway history and wrote several books on this topic.

Andy created important documentaries such as 'Fiddler On The Road' (1972), recording the life of legendary Donegal fiddle player and tinsmith John Doherty. It is one of his films with John Doherty that we use here to show his skill - and his diplomacy! Whilst filming Doherty in 1962, a friend who had been rather over-served at the bar determined that he was going to show Andy how to do his job. Andy pulled out all his tact and warmth to deal with the situation and it is an endearing and charming piece of archive.

Often, the people on the other side of the camera go unrecognised, but Andy and those that worked with him created an ethos in UTV that was like no other commercial station at that time. We thank Andy for creating some of the most important pieces of film in the Digital Film Archive and we are grateful for his willingness to share his story and his work with the people of Northern Ireland.

We are fortunate to have many more examples of Andy's work still to be added to the Digital Film Archive and we look forward to continuing to preserve his legacy.